Laid-Off Developers Create AI Model to Replace CEOs and Other Executives
A group of developers who were let go due to AI efficiency savings have struck back at the executives who are often shielded from AI-induced layoffs by creating OpenExecutive , an AI tool designed to augment and replace executive decision-making, TechRadar reports .
"Work happens around the clock. Leadership doesn't scale with it," a demo video says. Using the kind of language that executives have grown comfortable throwing around about AI replacing workers over the past years, it suggests the bottleneck to productivity and enhanced profitability at companies isn't a lack of worker enhancements; it's that leadership can't keep up.
So why not replace them with AI?
OpenExecutive presents as a singular AI for interactive purposes. However, in making its C-Suite-grade decisions, it leans on a virtual board of eight AI agents designed to emulate experts within an organizational structure. The singular voice is backed by an emulated CSO, CFO, HR officer, COO, marketing chief, a product officer, and a board comms director. Each of them can lean on the main executive AI to guide its actions and suggestions.
They can all draw from company documents and data, remember their decisions, and trace back reasoning for that if you want to follow up on why they decided to do certain things.
OpenExecutive is built on Anthropic's Claude AI model, using Claude Sonnet 4.6 by default, and Opus 4.7 for deeper reasoning tasks. It's distributed under the Apache 2.0 license, so anyone can use, modify, run it internally, or develop their own commercial product based on it.
Although the whole project is somewhat tongue-in-cheek and a reminder to the higher-ups that AI may well come for us all eventually, it does have some legitimate uses. For smaller businesses that want organizational expertise to guide growth and expansion strategies, this kind of AI could be extremely useful.
It might also be handy for any workers who want to get ahead of what their boss has planned for the future. Maybe you could offer useful suggestions for the business that would make you appear like a straight shooter with upper management written all over you .
It also highlights the limitations of AI in meaningful ways that should be readily apparent wherever they're applied. OpenExecutive is designed as an advisory tool. It can't sign documents or hold legal weight; it can't actually replace decision-making positions. It augments them. While AI tools for employees are often suggested as replacements for workers, the technology can never replicate the nuance or taste of actual humans. Even if OpenExecutive isn't going to replace your boss's boss, maybe it can help them understand that.
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